A Tide Amazon "Dash Button."
Source: Amazon
Wal-Mart Stores has applied for a patent to compete with Amazon.com's wifi-connected, one-button ordering device, Amazon Dash, according to data provider CB Insights.
The patent, filed in October, would be the first of Wal-Mart's more than 800 patents and applications to focus on Internet of Things (IoT) and branches into shoppers' homes, CB Insights said.
Wal-Mart's system would require less effort than Amazon's, a CB Insights blog post said.
"While Dash buttons still require users to press a physical button separate from the product, Wal-Mart aims to integrate IoT into the products themselves for automatic re-ordering with no user input at all," the blog post said.